


Are You Satisfied?

by SweetRedWine



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Help, Marina and the Diamonds songs, Pre-EVERYTHING, literally no idea, the family jewels - Freeform, winter is a lowkey hoe ig???, young winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 07:13:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12765834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetRedWine/pseuds/SweetRedWine
Summary: Are you satisfied with an average life?Winter's life wasn't average, but it certainly felt that way.Her gloved hands pull at her hair as her dream comes to fruition, but does she want it in the end?Is she satisfied?





	1. Chapter 1

Her fingers gripped her bone white hair, right down at her scalp as she looked at the letter in front of her. She felt... artificial in that second, as if her calm was just born of chemicals. Winter was supposed to feel happy, her life was about to change. She was about to leave home, join the Atlesian military. She was going to get out of a place where her brother’s meagre achievements overshadowed hers. She was leaving Weiss to handle that feeling alone. She’ll be strong, Winter was sure of it. Weiss will inherit the company after Winter’s abdication of the title of heiress in this way and.. live well. Yeah, Weiss would live well while Winter risked her life killing Grimm and the like.  
Well, Winter wouldn’t say she’d be risking her life, she thought her skills at near perfect so why should she be scared?

But for some reason, she wasn’t satisfied. Its her problem that she’s never happy, and her own problem on how fast she’ll succeed. Nobody can tell her what she’s going to be, as Atlesian men so often do. Winter didn’t want to be a pretty little wife for some business associate of her father’s son, and she just hoped that Weiss was able to have some escape from that too.  
Winter had been told to be a fair few things. She’d been told to go into modelling, with her long legs and pretty face, she’d be an ideal candidate for it. She’d been told to stay as the CEO of Schnee Dust Company once her father handed it to her. She’d been told to be quiet and to be seen and not heard.

Of course, Winter was a very bitter person and very good at hiding it. A few stumbles here, a faked being pushed there and oh, I’m so sorry sir, your suit is ruined by this red wine and she’s oh so sorry.  
So really, it made sense she wasn’t satisfied. Her enjoyment came from watching her father’s blood boil in public and not be able to do much about it. It was the consequences that she always overlooked.   
Right, no. Winter couldn’t think of that right now. She was leaving that now. Her lace gloves held strands of her hair that she’d managed to loosen with her incessant pulling at her roots. She detangled the white strands out of the lace of the same colour, sighing as she folded the acceptance letter back up and putting it back into the envelope and into her trinket box, spraying herself with perfume as she prepared herself for this years Christmas Party. The party held on Christmas Day itself. The party on her birthday which was never and never would be a celebration of her own birth. It didn’t matter anymore, in all honesty. She knew her birthday just stole the date and the Schnee Christmas Ball was an elegant affair that had been happening for generations before her. It wasn’t Winter’s place to be ungrateful. She reapplied her lipstick, before pulling her silk shawl around her back and hanging it over the crook in her elbows and inspecting herself in the ornate mirror that stood next to her vanity table. 

She was pleased with her appearance, her hair woven into a sweet up do, curled and pinned to perfection for the elegance she radiated. Her white shawl matched her blue and white ombréd dress. She did a small spin for herself, loving how it hugged her modest curves and accentuated what she had. She wouldn’t act like she wasn’t beautiful any other time, but for now? She felt like the most beautiful woman to set foot on this earth. She pulled the lace gloves up to persuade them to stay around her wrists better and sauntered down to the party.  
Winter strode through the snow cascading down from the sky, taking the shortcut through the gardens to get there faster. Her body was well accustomed to the Atlesian cold, and it didn’t bother her at all. Having bare legs, bare arms and the like wasn’t an issue. She pushed the double doors open, closing them behind her as she entered the hall. Her grim face broke into a smile at seeing her father approach her, both purely for show. He put his arm around her shoulders, speaking in veiled threats to her, and she laughed to keep the pretence of happy family. They broke apart, her father back to mingling and Winter? Well, Winter would take a glass of wine from a server and just hope to god that she’d be entertained at some point. For most of the night, the only attention she got was from old men and their sons trying to get them together and make a company merger. She dismissed all of the talks quickly, trying to find solace in this... farce of a party.  
Winter stood off to the side, out of the way, waiting patiently until she was needed.  
“Miss Schnee, may I say, you look lovely. Though you and I have a few things to speak about.”  
Her head whipped around to see General Ironwood, and her heart stopped. He knew. She could see it in his eyes. This was the end.   
“What did you wish to converse about, General Ironwood, sir?” She straightened her back, standing tall.  
“Well, first of all, happy birthday.” He gave her a kind smile. “It isn’t every day someone turns seventeen.”  
“Oh, thank you sir.” She gave a small smile, a genuine one. Her second genuine smile of the day, the first was to Weiss.  
“Do we have somewhere else we can speak? I’d suggest the gardens but I don’t want to risk you having a chill.”  
“The gardens will be fine, sir. Don’t worry about me, after you.” She tried her best to be as formal and flattering as possible, as she’d been taught all her life. The General responded to her with a curt nod, and she followed him into the gardens.  
“Miss Schnee, about your placement at the academy..”  
“I’ve been declined, haven’t I?” She looked down, pulling her shawl tighter around her arms.  
“No, I thought you’d have received the acceptance letter by now.” The General gave her a small smile. “I wanted to know why. Why you wish to leave home for a dangerous profession such as this?”  
“The manor lacks adventure. I don’t want to work in a desk job, and I refuse to be a layabout. So, all of the combat training Father gave us with fencing and the like can be used for important things.”  
“That is very honourable, Miss Schnee. I look forward to seeing you at the Academy. However, I would like to suggest that you consider a placement in the Atlas Military also, we could do with someone like you.” He turned on his heel, walking back to the party, leaving a slack jawed Winter in his wake.


	2. Chapter 2

Her pale legs carried themselves through that door once more, back to the stifling event that was mandatory for the woman. Child, she reminded herself. She’d be a child for the sake of her father’s arguments until she was fifty.

Irritation turns quickly to bitterness, and the only emotion she could muster around her father was that feeling of bitterness, wanting to anger him, sully his name and leave in the night, never to return.   
Sadly, that’s not how life works. The romantic ways of life in the stories, where the protagonist does whatever she wants, no remorse, breaking free of her patriarch’s clutches? That doesn’t happen in real life, and heaven knows she’s tried.

The shattered moon has watched her try so many times, and fail each and every time. It was never her fault, the staff were so.. so scared of her father that they just did whatever he said, and if that was seeing Winter out of her room with a bag full of lien and clothes? Then he’d be told, she’d be escorted back to her room and locked away. The world was told she was reclusive, shy. Winter was not timid. Her problem was using her tongue too freely. Forever telling her father why he seemed too weak in her eyes, telling the same to suitors.

Oh, that was her favourite pastime.  
Yet, today, she couldn’t bring herself to put them all to shame.

She silently went back inside, sitting at one of the tables by the window, wishing she’d bought her scroll with her. She’d stay another hour, fine, then feign tiredness and get to bed.

This was just how things were meant to be. Behave like a lady, don’t do this, don’t do that. The oppressive cycle for her didn’t seem so bad to an outsider, so she kept her mouth shut. Thinking on this now... rage flooded through her heart like a hurricane tears through a city and she stood rather suddenly, moving to leave the party now.

Her hand was almost on the door, before a hand grabbed her arm.  
“Winter, darling, don’t go just yet. Enjoy the festivities some more. There’s people here who’d like to meet you.” Her father gave a sickly sweet smile to her, which repulsed her.  
“About?”  
“Modelling, sweetheart.”  
She replied with a disgustingly false smile, her efforts to look happy failing in her rage. “I feel slightly ill, father, I should go to bed.”  
“Winter, just speak with these people for me, sort out your auditions and then you can go.”  
She gave a little nod, stepping over to the scouts, with a better false smile for them.

Ironwood frowned, watching his new student and her father speak. He’d never liked Jacques, and that would never change. James sighed, turning away and continuing to network with the Atlesian nobility, headmasters from the other kingdoms and ignore his regret of telling Ozpin to bring one of his operatives for his and Glynda’s safety.  
The fool had bought Qrow, who was severely enjoying the free, open bar.   
Ironwood looked back at the bar an hour or so later, and there he still was, drinking. And.. seeming to corrupt young Winter, who looked furious already. He let them be, on Qrow’s head be it.

Yet, Ironwood didn’t see the entire story here, as Winter sat down at the bar, a few seats away from a dusty, old crow. Qrow allowed his eyes to scan over the woman sitting near to him, decent bust, Long, pale legs, dress being halfway up her thighs... yes, gorgeous. He let out a low whistle, sliding a seat over to say hey.  
Winter brushed a loose curl behind her ear, rolling her eyes.

“Hey.” He started, his gravelly tones like music to Winter’s ears, turning to look at who had spoken.  
“Oh, good evening. Merry Christmas.” She gave a slightly more genuine smile as she took in his face. The scruff, the messy hair, the crooked grin. She liked that. Her daddy issues hinted at her that he was a good deal older than her, and her father would hate him   
Curse those daddy issues of hers.  
“Qrow.” He held out a hand.   
“Winter.” She went to shake his, keeping a small smile on her lips.  
“I’m just gonna be blunt here and ask,” his speech was slightly slurred, and Winter was put straight back off him. “I got a hotel room, wanna join me?”  
“I’m seventeen.” She folded her arms.  
“Call me in a year.” He laughed, having drank a bit too much.  
Her brows furrowed in anger. How dare he act as if she was just an object to be used in that way? Her mouth opened to retort, in a rather vile manner that she saved specifically for pigs like him, before stopping herself.  
“You’re not Atlesian, are you?”  
“Whatever gave you that idea, Ice Queen?”  
“First of all, if you were, you wouldn’t be allowed in here with the scruffy way you look. Secondly, you’d know that any kind of.. that is still frowned upon before marriage and therefore would not ask because you know you’d get shut down instantly.” She folded her arms. “And! How dare you even think I would crawl into bed with a slimy little-“  
“Winter.” A hand came onto her shoulder, causing her to jump. “I thought you’d left.” Her father gave a smile. “Do you feel up to giving us all a song, my dear?”  
It wasn’t a question. It was a “time for you to show off and make us look good before you make a stupid blunder” order.  
She nodded softly. “It would be a pleasure.”  
“How about you give us one of your new ones? I’d imagine they’d be wasted otherwise.” He smiled, and she smiled back. This. This would entertain her. Qrow felt his interest pique, watching her nod, and turn back with a smile, excusing herself and going to the small corner stage the band had been playing on for the night. Her father called for the attention of the hall, and all eyes were on her in moments.   
Her long legs were hidden under the piano, as she sat down and sighed softly, quickly getting a feel for the keys before pressing her first chord with an air of finality that meant she was starting.

“I can’t break the cycle,  
Am I just a fool?” 

Her voice was sweet as she sang, unlike her actual speaking voice which had always seemed more harsh.

“Falling down like dominoes,   
Hit by family jewels.  
Pass it down from kid to kid, this chain will never end  
Unless I decide to go to it, will I see the end?”

The piano picked up, a jolly tune backing the melancholy lyrics.

“Ooh, don’t you find it strange?  
The only thing we share is one last name,  
Did I beat you at your own game?  
Typical of me to put us all to shame.”

She looked up from her keys, watching her father scowl at her, from the back of the room. She knew she’d been in deep trouble after this, but in this moment it felt worth it.

“Welcome to the family jewels  
Coal to diamond, sold to fools  
Welcome to the family jewels  
Simmering sapphire, can't keep his cool  
I can't keep my cool  
I can't keep my cool..”

She could have stopped there, ended the trouble before it got worse. Her referral to her father’s rage, her own rage, the blue of her family, and acting as if their family products were sold to fools.  
But, she didn’t stop.

“Family said that I decided to live a loveless life  
Is it my fault we stay divided? ‘Cause I’ve got too much pride.  
Pass the parcel, wrap, unwrap  
And open up the locks  
Out comes flying all the secrets of Pandora’s box.”

There she sat, blatantly singing that everything was wrapped to look nice, seem wonderful, while all the bad is locked away, and nobody sees it.  
Nobody would listen to this really, either.

“Oh, you think I’m unfit,  
Little did you know that I was cut for it  
No glass slipper will ever fit  
‘Cause I could never see a diamond in it!”  
She went through the chorus, shaking her head discreetly as her father began the ending applause. She wasn’t done, but she would be for now. She stood, and walked away from the piano.  
Her heart burned, embarrassed all of a sudden. She felt like she’d put her heart on show, even with only one or two lines that pushed her sorrow forward. Her pride felt slightly scorned, even though she did it to herself.  
Qrow watched her leave the stage, in that moment not focused on her legs, or bust. He watched her expression contort numerous times, concerned for her. He knew one thing however, he wanted to hear that voice again.


	3. Intermission

Her heels clicked against the floor after the applause ended, her conflicting emotions that often got the best of her beginning to overpower her once more. She sped up, moving as fast as she could without running, before sprinting as soon as she got outside. A crow sat on a branch, its red eyes watching her, only to fly away as she went to the main building.

Five years later  
Having passed her schooling with flying colours, she’d never thought she’d resort to doing this.  
All those rumours that she hated had some truth in them, and she knew it. She was the one doing it. She didn’t have to, and she had no idea why it had started, but here she was, Ironwood’s cock buried in her throat and his hand keeping her down by her hair. It was obscene, her on her knees, shirt pulled open, breasts out and sucking dick for perceived job security.  
Soon enough, she was cleaned up, looking just as prim and proper as ever. Her meeting was over, and she’d enjoyed herself. She did, however, need a time out. The stress of hiding things upon things caused her already white hair to begin to thin. Her life had become a bad porno somewhere along the way, but she couldn’t pinpoint when and where it started. All she knew is that she, a 22 year old woman, was partaking in explicit activities with a man who was nearly the same age as her father. Over twice her own age.  
Stupid daddy issues.  
Winter sighed, undoing her bun once she reached her quarters, running her fingers through the stark white locks.  
Peace was evanescent for her, like a phantom in the night. As soon as she relaxed, something would happen. It was easier to not allow herself relaxation, as the constant interruption led to irritation. Irritation led to bitterness. Bitterness led to hatred. Hatred led to losing her job.  
Losing her job meant losing respect. Losing respect meant losing her Father’s kindness, as rare as it may be.

No, Winter had far too much at stake here. It was Christmas again, which meant Winter would return home. She’d perform after her songs were heavily vetted by her father. Sighing, she looked at the bags she’d packed, going back to her wardrobe to reselect her dress. What was classy, yet would piss of her father?  
Yes, the red. The deep burgundy red with the tall slit. The kind of dress you have to go commando in. She slipped it on over top of her uniform, laughing at how low cut the front would be. Elegant, yet just borderline whoreish. Beautiful. Perfect for the occasion.  
Of course, all eyes would be on her. To be honest, that was just how she liked it. She could prove to herself she was in control. That’s her drive, control, power, success. She didn’t have time for love or friends in her crusade. She’d step all over anyone in her path and she knew that he knew it too. Qrow. Qrow knew it. He despised it. She despised him, so there was no love lost. 

It often got in the way, their childish feud, yet she knew that Ozpin would drag him along again. A sigh escaped her lips. She put the dress in its carry case and checked she had everything before changing into her travel clothes. She left her quarters for her scheduled flight to the manor, a sigh forcing its way out of her lungs once more. Her heart felt heavy and a dull feeling of dread washed over her like a tsunami at the prospect of the dinner, the neglect of her birthday and discomfort.  
Well, none of it was new, but it all was awful nonetheless and it hurt. It did. But, with money came misunderstanding and nobody ever understood her. She didn’t understand why that was an expectation, for her life to be perfect because of riches. That isn’t how life worked, and she knew so. She often lamented this sentiment on long journeys, her self pity often overtaking her overwhelming narcissism if left to her own devices too long. She shook her head. She couldn’t run away this year, she had to stay. Weiss would be hurt if she couldn’t see her again. She couldn’t disappoint Weiss that way.

She took her seat, and the flight was over entirely too soon. She wasn’t prepared when the servants opened the door, greeted her and took her bags to her old room. She wasn’t prepared to be led straight to a music room with orders from her father to practice, to write. Weiss had asked that Winter performed too, and the happy family image that would be portrayed would be sought after and.. she had to do it. She was sat a piano, given the sheet music for Weiss’ song and time alone. Time for her to mock up her own song.


End file.
